The 4 Best Passive PA Speakers – Reviews 2023

best passive pa speakers

Photo by NBStwo / CC BY

If you’re one of the old school audiophiles that love to control their sonic output through a good ole massive amp, you’ve come to the right place! Whether it’s public address or some other form of application you’re after, you will need a set of great passive PA speakers.

So what makes a good set of passive PA speakers? First off, you will need the speakers to be reliable, distortion-free, and able to replicate the commands from the amp without any sonic alterations whatsoever. Essentially, you should seek power that you can control. The amp or a mixing board is an important second part of the equation here, but the thing to focus on is with the speakers first is the strength factor and its ability to meet your demands.

The speakers are the crucial ingredient of a proper audio mix, and this time around, we took the liberty of sifting through all the passive models on the market today and bring you the best of the best. Our quest was not in vain as we are proud to present you with the 4 best passive PA speakers for the money.

JBL JRX215 Passive Speakers

We’ll commence our journey with a top notch mixture of price and quality known as the JBL JRX215. This set of passive PA speakers utilizes high sensitivity, and delivers the goods through a 15 inch JBP speaker backed up by a 2.5 inch (64 mm) edge-wound ribbon voice coil and a 1 inch (25 mm) polymer diaphragm compression driver.

What this means in practical terms is that you can expect a surprising load of genuine clarity backed up stellar craftsmanship. This guarantees that the sonic wave coming from these pups will always be under full control and at maximum quality.

Hence, regardless of which kind of application you have in mind, the JRX215 set (see full specs) will demonstrate top level versatility and adjust to every single occasion you might have in mind. When it comes to speeches, the speakers have been crafted particularly with this form of application in mind, securing the highest level of clarity, low basses, and zero distortion.

The power handling is another feature we’d like to give the manufacturer kudos for, along with the advanced network topology crossover design, a little something that shapes the frequency response to present a coherent sum in the crossover region. These are among the best passive PA speakers on the market.

QSC GX5, JBL JRX 215, CVi-118S soundtest

Behringer Eurolive B212XL Passive PA Speakers

Up next is a bit more of an affordable option – a high power 2 way passive PA speaker coming directly from Behringer. It goes by the name of Eurolive B212XL and it combines German ingenuity with a budget-friendly price tag.

The product offers 200 watts of continuous power and 800 watts of peak power, and is very light. So if portability is one of your top priorities and you don’t need a speaker to crank up to 11 and provide sonic coverage of a football stadium, this is a great choice.

The sound is clear, free of crackle and distortion, and always in proper correspondence with the amp. The speaker doesn’t add any unnecessary sound frequencies on its own, and what you dial in on the amp is what will come out of the speaker.

Notable features include a highly powerful 12 inch long excursion driver that delivers a mega deep bass and acoustic power, along with a cutting edge 1.75 inch titanium diaphragm compression driver that secures top level high-frequency reproduction.

Overall, the clarity is present at a top level, and your crowd will hear you loud and clear with these speakers.

Seismic Audio 15 Inch PA

The time has come to fire the big guns! Quite possibly the highest quality item on the list and a bit of a gem—meet the Seismic Audio 15-inch speaker.

Sporting some classic sleek looks, this 15-inch two-way speaker sports a 50 oz. magnet and a 2.5 inch Kapton voice coil. The craftsmanship is at very high level here, and so is the power. Officially, the speaker offers 350 watts of RMS and 700 watts of peak power, but when used, they seem to deliver so much more.

The sound coming out of these will make you go deaf if you don’t cover up your ears properly, and the best part is that the sound quality doesn’t get affected for a surprisingly long time. So basically as long as you use them within reasonable or even full-blown loud measures, the Seismic Audio boys will give you nothing but clean, distortion-free sound.

Now some technical features – the speaker utilizes a wide frequency range of 45 Hz – 20 kHz, a 96 dB sensitivity, a 1.5 inch tweeter, a titanium driver a 12/18 dB per octave crossover, onboard tweeter protection, and a 5/8 plywood front panel.

Seismic Audio SA-15T - 15 Inch PA Speakers (Official)

Rockville RSG12 12” 3-way Passive DJ/Pro Audio PA Speaker


Rockville makes a wide range of high-quality audio products, from car speakers to audiophile-level equipment for the home listening room or theater. Across their product line, Rockville speakers are known for their combination of power and superior sound. The RSG-12 loudspeaker uses a 12” woofer, three piezo bullet tweeters, and one piezo compression horn tweeter for consistent sound production across the frequency range.

Going by the numbers, the RSG-12 is rated for 500 watts RMS, with a peak power handling of 1,000 watts. It’s also incredibly efficient, with a sensitivity of 99dB. The combination of drivers mentioned above gives it a frequency response range of 45Hz to 22 kHz.

One of the best things about this speaker is its versatility. It’s a hefty speaker at 28 pounds, but it can still be pole mounted for events. It’s also perfect for DJs, portable enough to take to gigs and powerful enough to fill any size of room.

To top it off, the RSG-12 is also an incredible value. The sound quality is easily equal to that of speakers that cost twice as much, making it the smart choice for the discerning DJ, professional engineer, or home audio enthusiast who wants to add power to his arsenal without shelling out a lot of cash. Hands down, these are among the best passive PA speakers around.

School Set Rockville Pro Audio Review (Follow Up)

What are Passive Speakers?

This is a frequent question, and there is a very easy answer to it – passive speakers are standard speakers that can’t work without an amp. So, in order for a passive speaker to work, you will need to connect it to an amplifier. They offer a high quality sound and are a perfect choice for users who prefer to control the sonic output via one central amplifier. They are the choice of many pros around the world and we highly recommend them.

Each of the listed products was singled out as a good mixture of sound quality, power, reliability, durability, and solid value for money. In our humble opinion, these are the best passive PA speakers within their respective budget ranges, and we hope you’ll agree too! Good luck!

Written and Reviewed By

  • Micah Johnson started playing music in high school, when he taught himself the bass to join his friend’s band. He added guitar and drums during his twenties playing in local clubs, and along the way, he picked up unique, hands-on experience from hand drums to studio mixers. On Song Simian, he aims to share this knowledge from 20+ years playing and recording music. When not in gearhead mode, he enjoys photography and travel.

  • Marko is the senior editor and writer on Ultimate Guitar, the No. 1 guitar spot on the web, since early 2013. His work was also featured on a variety of other notable gear spots such as Guitar Fella, Consordini, and, of course, Song Simian. His musical journey began at a very young age, and he finally opted to pick up an instrument in his early teenage years. A fan of King Crimson. A travel enthusiast.

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